HALIFAX — A Halifax man is facing charges including attempted murder after health workers were attacked at the Halifax Infirmary's emergency room on Wednesday.
The province's health minister said three health workers were injured by a patient, and sources have indicated the weapon used was a knife.
Karen Oldfield, CEO of Nova Scotia Health, confirmed Thursday that all three victims were recovering from their injuries in stable condition.
Nova Scotia's public prosecution service said 32-year-old Nicholas Robert Coulombe of Halifax would be charged with one count of attempted murder, three counts of aggravated assault, three counts of assault with a weapon, and two counts of possession of a dangerous weapon for the purpose of committing a crime.
According to a police information form filed with the provincial court, the weapon used in three of the alleged confrontations was a knife. But in a section describing an assault with a weapon charge involving a fourth victim, the weapon is described as a "plastic rat." That person did not require medical attention.
The head of the union that represents health workers at the hospital said its members have long been calling for more security measures in ERs. Sandra Mullen, president of the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union, said that without a safe workplace, there's little hope of fixing the province's overburdened health-care system.
“We’ve stressed many times that the security in place is not sufficient," she said in an interview.
"We’ve talked before about having Halifax Regional Police (in the ER). Why can police have a member in the grocery store to prevent somebody from shoplifting but yet … here we have nobody on site to help diffuse this situation and protect the staff … and other patients. It’s up to the employer to keep their staff safe."
Oldfield said Nova Scotia Health is doing what it can to make the province's ERs more secure.
"I want them to know I'm doing everything in my power to ensure that they can feel safe in their workplace," she said in an interview Thursday, adding that she had visited the Halifax Infirmary on Wednesday night. "There's no question that it was a very traumatic and scary day."
Oldfield said counselling had been arranged for hospital staff, and she confirmed that Nova Scotia Health had purchased five hand-held metal-detecting wands to enable staff to search for concealed weapons. "Training has already begun," she said.
As well, she said contract negotiations with the province's nurses had led to an agreement to spend $7 million on new security measures, such as risk assessments and education programs. And she stressed that the health authority and the nurses union were deciding together on how to invest those funds.
Oldfield stressed that the emergency room at the Halifax Infirmary — the largest in the province — typically has several security guards on duty, including six in the main room, two at the entrance and a number of others patrolling the department.
Nova Scotia Health spent about $12 million on security last year and has budgeted $20 million for this year, she said.
"This will never go away," Oldfield said, referring to security risks. "This can never be totally eliminated."
She went on to say the authority would not rule out adding police officers to the security routine.
As for the attack on Wednesday, Oldfield said five separate investigations and reviews are being conducted by Halifax police, the authority's own security team, a third-party security team, the Nova Scotia occupational health and safety team, and a group of clinicians who are conducting a quality improvement review.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 30, 2025.
— With files from Michael MacDonald
Michael Tutton, The Canadian Press
